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[Broomies Mate]

Getting back on topic.......

Chris only asked for a bit of informed advice about buying an Omega and I think a good few have done a pretty good job of putting him right off! - probably not wholly intentional, but nevertheless had a good try!
I have owned several Omegas since 2004 and currently own 3 Elites - whilst I do 99% of the work on them myself, owning one isn't quite as much doom and gloom as has been portrayed. Yes, old cars need more tlc than your moden cars (say upto 3 years old that have usually only had one service), but a certain degree of work other than general servicing is likely with the majority of even 7 year old plus cars, irrespective of make. Some Omega parts are becoming harder to find, but not impossible - again the Omega isn't on its own in this respect....
If you are fortunate to find a respectable Omega, I would definitely recommend going for it - you won't regret it irrespective of what has been said by a few.....
You will get a lot of useful advice on here, as long as you ignore the minority, and search the minefield of useful information available here.
Most people are friendly - honest!

My old e39 BMW had a stainless steel exhaust from factory, had far more layers of paint, the interior coating on buttons didn't fall off because it was touched.


Anyone suggesting a 20yr old Vx Omega as a good purchase needs to give their head a wobble.

Yes, fantastic cars of the time, but here and now, nahhh. 

[Andy B]

...., but for £35,000 could get a nice twin axle van , just got to have a good look.

Mine (Coachman) was exactly half that ..... obviously second hand but it was obvious that it had been rarely used

[cam.in.head]

fantastic cars of the time yes definately and still true to this day in my opinion.
i have been on a few car forums over the years and they are poulated generally by people who are actual enthusiasts of that particular car. lots of people here seem to actually dislike omegas and try to put people off them. after working and restoring many different vehicles over the past 40 years i can honesly say that the omega is a well designed and thought out car. yes there are a few design niggles that could have been different but nothing major really.not many (if any) modern stuff comes close nowadays in terms of comfort because people dont seem to want that now.more into gadgets or speed or fashion !
dont get me started on that !
yes it will be hard to find a very good one but there are still a fair few out there that can be purchased as a good base and improved on. theyre not a particularly complicated car and dont realy have any major rust issues that would render them unrepairable. this is a grey area with some people yes but beleive me when youve worked on 60's and 70's stuff which can rust in front of your eyes the omega pales in comparison.its a shame that the op cannot do his own work because he will have to use a garage he trusts and who knows what they are doing and that is harder than it sounds as we all know . shouldnt be realy but it is.
all the cars out there for sale will be in different stages of repair/ maintenance/ etc etc so its not a given that every car will 100% need a full suspension rebuild and full alignment . theres nothing complicated about omega suspension or any magic involved.
sure it will need front bushes now and again and rocker cover gaskets and but theyre not expensive and easy enough to do .
good ones keep popping up on ebay now and again but im sticking with mine until maybee the perfect one owner very low mileage one comes up . they will be hidden somewhere!
a friend of mine recently found a mk1 escort with 6000 miles on .and a few years back we found a viva with 27000 and a mk1 cav with 29000. all excellent cars . bodywork and interior like new . mechanicals can be repaired but you cant recreate low mileage originality
anyway.back on topic. hope the op looks at a few omegas ( if hes not been put off !) and after a proper examination should find a good example .

[Doctor Gollum]

There will be people who agree with the following because it matches their experience, and there will be people who disagree with every word because... (these are the same people who will swear blind that it never rains in the Wales because the one day they visited it was sunny).

Having owned 8 Omegas and maintained them myself, all face lift, both saloon and estate, manual and auto, 2.0/2.2/2.6/3.2 and near as damnit 250,000 miles combined, not to mention countless members cars that I have worked on, here's my experience based list of common issues that will affect any Omega, especially between 80-120k miles and beyond depending on maintenance approach. Sensors should only be genuine, from a VX dealer that you genuinely have to walk in to. Everything else as available.

In no particular order:

1. V6 crank sensor (non start, no codes).
2. 4 pot cam sensor (especially with gearbox codes).
3. Breathers (see #4, long oil changes/crappy oil will cause them to sludge up and blow the camcover seals)
4. Cam cover seals(see #3 also go brittle over time leaks will destroy the coil packs).
5. Coil packs (see #4 and also destroyed by water leaks from the scuttle/bulkhead foam).
6. Fuel pump (especially if lpg and tank left low).
7. Heater Bypass Valve (can last anything from 6 months to 4 years and can cause catastrophic coolant loss if unnoticed).
8. Coolant exansion tank (microscopic cracks around the filler neck lead to mysterious coolant loss).
9. Wishbone bushes (the Omega is pretty rough on bushes if driven hard and whilst seemingly simple, quite fussy about geometry settings).
10. Rear discs (available as vented: 2.6/3.2 or solid: everything else, but they have different calipers and not unusual to find solid discs with vented calipers this will allow the pistons to leak as the pads wear resulting in brake failure)
11. Rust. Everywhere between the number plates, but especially front chassis rails, bulkhead, sills, rear arches, saloon rear shock top mounts and rear crossmember.

As with any car, they will effortlessly cover mileage but they are better used than sat around. Higher mileage, low owner, meticulously maintained cars are a better daily driver buy than a low mileage garage queen.

As for the forum, most items are covered by the FAQ and Maintenance Guide sections, and if you go back to when the Omega Help section was 15 pages a month, you'll see pretty much every issue people have encountered.

Drive an Omega long enough and you'll encounter these repeatedly. Equally, buy cheap Omegas and you'll encounter everything. Every time. And that quickly gets old...

[Sir Tigger KC]

I think that what the OP will find in this thread is an honest appraisal of running a 20 year old Vauxhall Omega, but I don't think that there's been any deliberate attempt to put him off. 

He has said that he's not into DIY and that it will be garage all the way, which is fine if he's prepared to pay the bills.  Also now he's found the OOF he'll be able to take it to the garage armed with the knowledge of what needs doing. 

The other plus is that for more complicated jobs like the cambelt, Serek is not a million miles away from the OP in Sutton Coldfield.  Where is Serek? Kidderminster? Huntingdon?    Somewhere down the A14 anyway I think! 

[Doctor Gollum]

North of Watford, for sure

Huntingdon 

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

The point I was trying to make is this. If someone goes and buys themselves a nice looking Omega, with no apparent rust issues,  for say £1500, they will then probably have to spend maybe another £750 ? on parts to make it the car it could / should be.
If you add garage labour costs on top of that - say two working days at £60 per hour ?, then your into the territory of someone who is an enthusiast, who knows they are going to have a really nice car at the end of the process.
The vast majority of people would consider that to be over 3 grand wasted on an old Vauxhall.
A very small number of people (myself included) consider it money well spent to own a really nice car at a fraction of what many people would spend on a newer, but nowhere near as good, car.
Im using mine to commute at the moment as the French thing is off the road, and Im loving every minute of driving it.
Apart from the 24mpg instead of 60+ mpg in the French thing.

[TheBoy]

I think something that the OP needs to consider is his requirement to use local garages could make maintenance expensive.  We know most garages struggle with Omegas for some reason, especially suspension (which then wrecks tyres) and V6 engines.

Doctor Gollum's list of common problems above, whilst I don't agree with the accuracy of some of the items or causes, does help show likely failure points on one.  Take the HBV for example, a £15 part from a dealer, will become a £150 bill, as the garage will probably charge more than 1hr labour as they wouldn't have done one before, and officially you are supposed to drain coolant.


That said, the replacement for one of my Omegas - a much newer high end Jaguar XJ Portfolio - lacks some of the creature comforts of a (mildly modified) 1998 Omega had. And the jury is still out which was the better mile muncher. Longest journey I've done in a day with the XJ is under 500 miles to Scotland, but the Omega used to get annual trips to the South of France, approaching 900 miles in a day.


For the money - initial purchase and running costs - I found the Omega unbeatable.  If I were paying garages for the servicing and repairs, I'm certain I would not have had my Omegas for so long, or had so many of them.

[johnnydog]

I think if Chris has been considering an Omega, given their age, he won't be oblivious to the fact that older cars will need a degree of work (as with any older car) and a bit more tlc than a new/er car, even having to entrust this to a third party.
I have owned 60's and 70's Triumphs over the last 41 years, and do the majority of work myself (except welding) but fortunately they are all original not requiring any structural work apart from routine servicing (on a time factor as they don't do the miles). The club for them is still welcoming new owners / members who have successfully purchased a good straight genuine Triumphs within their budget. Not many dispose of them after 12 months thinking they have made a mistake because they have the mindset for an older / classic car and what it entails. Triumphs do pop up somewhat regularly (unfortunately too) because many owners have had them for years and become too old to drive or become ill - the Omega is in this category with (sorry) more older owners, and on this proviso, good ones owned by elderly owners will, from time to time, come up for sale - as long as the OP isn't in an immediate rush to buy one - and can wait for the right one to come along...

[TheBoy]

I think buying a classic is a different kettle of fish. Everyone knows owning a 1970s British classic entails some element of restoration - usually DIY for all but the most wealthy - and a warm garage to store it, and it only comes out on nice summer days.


I certainly don't want to put the OP off, as Omegas are, once sorted, lovely cars to crunch miles in.  But I think any decision needs to be made with eyes wide open for the next 6 months running costs, sorting out all the issues the previous owner didn't want to fork out for.  This is obviously far cheaper for DIYers.

Add to this that the newest are 18yrs old and the oldest 27yrs old, and the fact that few have ever been garaged do to their size compared to modern garages, finding one that doesn't need some level of body restoration or welding underneath is a challenge.

[cam.in.head]

all good points raised and it goes without saying that an omega in good order is a nice place to be in. his problem as we all agree on is that ALL older cars will need work to varying levels and he will have to trust a garage for opinion and quality and ability of work.
this to me is the biggest negative point as not many garages or mechanics will do the job correctly due to not knowing the car or just modern work ethics.
the omega if not already will become a classic of the future just like morris minors,minis, triumphs etc etc ,all of which were once classed as run of the mill everyday cars with no idea that they would be future classics.
that said,ALL cars were designed as everyday transport ( exotics etc excluded) and in a good state of repair can still be used as they were intended.
be it a triumph 2000, morris ital, ford cortina / capri   etc etc        and no reason why an omega cannot.
at least an omega is relatively straightforward compared to the over electronic current cars.
hopefully as said above lets hope hes not put off but at the same time realises that ANY older car ,even a relatively new omega will need an initial proper sort out and then a good maintenance plan to keep it good. bad crash or fire obviously but nothing else realy should stop one from lasting as long as you want. anything is repairable within reason,budget,experience,time !

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

The one thing he does have in his favour is this forum. Any problems he encounters will almost certainly be answered on here.
Its then the thorny issue of getting the garage doing the work to take notice of that and do the job properly.

[STEMO]

He'll be on the trader as we speak, looking for anything other than an omega 

[henryd]

No a mate had one & was very dissatisfied with it, I saw one a few months back in the Caravan & Motorhome club mag based on a Ford Transit very nice layout & with everything I'd want as the driver auto, cruise reversing cameras etc started I think at £68,000 had a very good report , but would have to see it & try it but ultimately it will be up to SWMBO will have a good look once restrictions are lifted , never had a good look at one really may decide against it & just get a new tin tent , certainly not going to rush into a purchase the way things are with travelling at present.

If you are used to slumming it in a Pikey Wagon, you probably won't like the switch to a Pikey Wagon with a steering wheel.  If you do decide it's for you, then factor in 3/4k on a Smart, IQ, C1 that you can drag behind it, so when you do eventually stop pissing motorists off and pull into a Camp Site, you can go and get Fish & Chips, visit the beach without having to pack EVERYTHING away.

A proper Camper Van without a small car is just a pain IMO

.   


We have discussed that already quite fancy a small  Toyota as a runabout, but for £35,000 could get a nice twin axle van , just got to have a good look.

Thing is with a camper van/small car set up is that you have to tax and insure two extra vehicles. 

I'd go for a nice big twin axle pikey wagon, and tell SWMBO that you need to upgrade the Range Rover to tow it!   

A nice full fat 5.0V8 L405 should do the trick Mick!     

. 


Got to admit that I love our twin axle Eldiss & looks a treat on the Range Rover & I would like to swap it for a new one personally I think a motorhome might be a bit cramped after the space we have but she wants to have a look so I'll humour her, like the idea of a 5.0 RR 😁

We are ion a similar dilema. been used to the space our twin axle Sterling, would like a camper instead but it would have to be huge to have the space we have now

[Rangie]

...., but for £35,000 could get a nice twin axle van , just got to have a good look.

Mine (Coachman) was exactly half that ..... obviously second hand but it was obvious that it had been rarely used

.   

We've always had secondhand vans paid £12,000 for our last one in 2012 but decided that we will treat ourselves to something new for a change got nothing else to spend it on her cousin that died was only 61so intend enjoying ourselves as much as possible.